Bessemer woman shoots gun-wielding intruder in her bedroom

BESSEMER, Alabama - A 63-year-old Bessemer woman shot an intruder in her home when she awoke to find the man standing in her bedroom, wielding a rifle.

The incident happened just before 4 a.m. Saturday on Fourth Avenue S.W. in Bessemer, Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian said today. The woman told investigators the gunman demanded that she give him her money and jewelry. She refused, and a struggled followed.

The intruder put the rifle down, and then pulled a small keyhole saw. He cut the woman on the arm and the stomach. A family friend staying at the home heard the commotion and intervened. While the friend distracted the suspect, the victim grabbed a handgun and fired on the gunman. He fled out the back door, Christian said.

The rifle left in the home was found to be an air rifle. Deputies searched the area, but didn't find the burglar. The victim, whose name wasn't released, was treated and released from the hospital with minor injuries.

Just before 9:30 a.m., sheriff's officials called UAB West hospital and asked if they had treated anyone with a gunshot wound. They learned a 46-year-old man had just been admitted.

Deputies went to the hospital to speak with him. The man told them he had been at a party with friends and someone had dared to shoot himself, so he did. Christian said that story didn't hold up when the man was positively identified as the burglar.

The burglar, whose injuries were life-threatening, was transferred to UAB Hospital to undergo surgery. His name is being withheld pending formal charges of armed burglary and assault. He remains hospitalized.

"I think this intruder picked the wrong victim and paid a price for it,'' Christian said. "Obviously this woman is prepared for such an occasion, and unafraid to defend herself and her home."